PFAW Applauds Committee Vote on Respect For Marriage Act

Committee Votes on Respect For Marriage Act

The Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill
is cosponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and 29 other Democrats. Representative Jerrold Nadler’s (D-NY)
companion bill has bipartisan support in the House.

“The Respect for Marriage Act will bring equality under the law to thousands of American citizens,” said Michael Keegan, President of People For the
American Way. “Thanks to support from Senator Leahy, Senator Feinstein and many other members of Congress, we are one step closer to ending
discrimination against same-sex couples. All citizens deserve the opportunity to enjoy the protections that only marriage can provide. Americans have
come to understand that preventing committed couples from getting married causes real harm to their friends, family members and neighbors. I look
forward to the day when Congress votes to enact this long overdue piece of legislation.”

People For the American Way’s petition, Dump DOMA[1],
contains thousands of signatures of people who believe that the federal government should no longer discriminate against loving families by denying
them equal access to the legal protections that are only available to legally married couples.

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The Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee